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BRAWLEY — As the congratulations and thanks were thrown about the dozens in attendance who helped make the Brawley Bypass happen, Brawley Mayor John Benson put Saturday’s dedication in perspective.

“I think the only happier day, other than today, for Brawley is when those trucks are rolling down this way,” Benson said of the truck traffic that is to be re-routed once the Brawley Bypass is fully complete, possibly as soon as 2011.

Officials gathered Saturday just off the Highway 111 and Highway 78 intersection to officially dedicate the second phase of the bypass to Victor V. Veysey, a former assemblyman from Brawley.

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Veysey is the last assemblyman who represented this district and was from the Imperial County. He served 43 years ago and has since died.

The Brawley Bypass, also known as the Calexico-Coachella Cargo Corridor will create an expressway around the city of Brawley from Highway 86/78 east to Highway 111.

The three phases of the project total 7.8 miles and when finished will cost a total of $223 million.

Phase 1 extends Highway 111 from north of Mead Road to Main Street. Phase 2 bypasses downtown Brawley with a new Highway 78/111 expressway from Main Street to Hovley Road, just west of the existing Highway 111 where it constructs a new interchange.

And phase 3 extends the new Highway 78 expressway from Hovley Road to Highway 78/86 just south of Fredericks Road.

“This is going to take traffic off your Main Street,” said California Department of Transportation Director Will Kempton. “And this has been a problem for a long time.”

In April the California Transportation Commission approved the final funding for the bypass, allocating $49.5 million to the project.

Senator Denise Moreno-Ducheny, D-San Diego, said the project was a long time coming and it was critical that multiple agencies, locally, throughout the region and state, could come together to move it forward.

“It’s been a struggle for us on both sides,” she said. “And we’ve tried to make people understand that it’s all about border traffic.”

Added Imperial County Supervisor Gary Wyatt, who represents the Northend: “This will be a seamless pathway from the border to Interstate 10. … And this project really is a testament of what happens when we work together.”

Staff Writer Eric Galvan can be reached at 337-3441.